Process for treating residue of hydrocarbon oil distillation



Feb. 13, 1934. c. J. PRATT I PROCESS FOR TREATING RESIDUE OF HYDROCARBON OIL DISTILLATION Original Filed July 8, 1926 fYlQH.

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Patented Fel). I3, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Clifton J. Pratt,

Tulsa, Okla.,

assignor to Universal Oil Products Company, Chicago, lll., a corporation of South Dakota Application July 8, 1926, Serial No. 121,067

Renewed July 11, 1931 8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in process for treating residue of hydrocarbon oil distillation and refers more particularly to the idea of utilizing the heated unvaporized residue withdrawn from a distilling or cracking operation to produce asphaltic-like materials.

Briefly describing the present invention, the unvaporized residue formed during the cracking or distilling o f a hydrocarbon oil may be continuously withdrawn from the process and Without materially decreasing the temperature thereof, introduced in to the vapor space of an inverted open-bottomed chamber. The pressure which may have been maintained on this residue is released, causing vaporization of some of the lighter fractions still in the residue, due to its latent heat.y The major portion which does not vaporize falls downwardly into a body of water maintained in the lower portion of this inverted chamber, this body of Water forming a seal. A certain portion of this residuum after being quenched in the water seal under said inverted tank passes out under a Weir section of the water seal and forms in an asphaltic-like mass owing on top of the water seal. These quenched products following the course of ow of the water, are picked up by a conveyor submerged in such water seal.

The heavier portion of these quenched materials will drop to the bottom of the container for the water seal. These heavier materials will be carried forward by any suitable means and carried upwardly on a belt conveyor,

'Ihe process of the present invention is designed to operate continuously, that is, the heated liquid residue is continuously withdrawn and without a substantial drop in temperature introduced to the inverted tank` and subjected to quenching by means of the water seal. This will reduce the apparatus, permitting operation for a greater length of time without shutdown while simultaneously utilizing the residue to produce an asphaltic-like product having a large commercial demand.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevational View, partly in vertical section, illustrating an apparatus for carrying out the present invention. Fig. 2 is a cross sectional View taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Referring in detail to the drawing, 1 designates an inlet line in which is interposed a control valve 2, said-line 1 receiving the unvaporized liquid residue at the temperature of discharge from a concurrently operating distilling rate of coke formation in the cracking or distilling or cracking operation. Any pressure which has been previously maintained on this residue is reduced by means of the 'control valve 2 in order that the residue discharging at the point A in the interior of the inverted chamber 3 will flash, 60 evolving a certain amount of vapors which may be Withdrawn through the vapor outlet 4 controlled by the valve 5. To regulate the discharge of residue an inverted cap 6 may be provided over the discharge from the inlet 1. The major portion of the residue, or that portion which does not vaporize, flows over the platelike deflectors 7, falling downwardly on the surface of a body of water 8. The chamber 3 is constructed in such a manner that the top and sides are closed 7o and the bottom is open, said chamber being supported on a suitable support such as a concrete foundation 9. The liquid level of Water 8 is maintained above the lower ends of the openbottomed chamber 3 in order to provide a Wa- 'I5 ter seal. Water may be continuously introduced to maintain the water seal through the line l0 controlled by valve 11. At the point of contact between the highly heated residue, which for inl stance may be at a temperature of, say, 450 to 550 deg. F., there will be foaming and rearrangement of the constituents of the residue and water. I do not fully understand the exact reaction which takes place, but it has been found that an asphaltic-like mass will be formed on top of the water seal. The heavier portions of the residue falls to the bottom in the form of an asphaltic-like body heavier than the mass which forms on top of the water. The temperature of the Water may be accurately controlled by the introduction of water through the pipe 10. It is to be understood that the water is constantly flowing in an outward direction in the direction of the arrows, the asphaltic-like mass forming on the top of the water seal owing under the Weir 12. The force of the flowing water will carry this asphaltic-like mass toward a belt conveyor 13, rotating around the pulleys 14. 'I'his belt conveyor may be of any standard construction, it being necessary to provide a conveyor which is perforated to allow the water to drain therethrough. The heavier asphaltic-like mass which drops to the bottom of the trough 9 may be mechanically moved forward if desired by any mecanical means such as the screw conveyor 15 mounted on the shaft 16. The shaft 16 is rotated by means of a pulley and belt arrangement, not shown. This conveyor also discharges the heavier asphaltic-like material on to the belt conveyor 13. During the upward travel of said 110 belt conveyor the water will drop through the perforations, collecting in the lower portion of what may be termed a sump 17. The water is withdrawn through the drains 18 controlled by valves 19.

The asphaltic-like material carried upwardly on the conveyor is in the form of a hard, brittle mass. To facilitate the stripping of this mass from the conveyor I provide the stripper 20, which diverts the mass into a suitable receptacle 21. At this point the hard, brittle asphaltic-like mass will have broken into lumps. The receptacle 21 may take the form of a movable car, a bucket, or the like.

As shown more particularly in Fig. 2, the base 9 preferably tapers toward the center to facilitate the collection of the heavier asphaltic-likel mass and to accelerate its movement toward the conveyor.

The brittle, asphaltic-like product produced by the present process may be utilized as a paving material, since it possesses similar characteristics to an asphalt suitable for pavement or road construction. It has been found that the broken up lumps of this asphaltic-like material when laid on a road will within a short time after laying agglomerate into a continuous unbroken mass.

It may be particularly pointed out that the amount and temperature of the Water being introduced, as well as the rate of flow from the point of introduction to the conveyor, is accurately regulated to permit solidication only at a point substantially adjacent to the belt conveyor. By this control of the water, the ductibility, penetration and melting point of the asphaltic-like product being made may be accurately regulated.

It will thus be seen that by the present invention I utilize the inherent properties present in a residue or the formation of an asphaltic-like product having a wide eld of use.

l claim as my invention:

1. A method for producing asphaltic-like materials from hydrocarbon'- oil residue resulting from. the cracking of hydrocarbons under heat and pressure comprising passing the hydrocarbon oil residue while at a temperature above 450 F. into the vapor space of a zone containing water maintained under substantially atmospheric pressure, removing volatilized constituents of the residue from said zone in vaporous form, causing the unvaporized portions of the residue to accumulate in that portion of the zone containing the water, continuously removing water and unvaporized oil constituents from said zone, causing said unvaporized oil constituents to solidify forming asphaltic-like substances, and thereafter separating such asphaltic-like substances from the water.' v

2. A method of handling residuum containing volatile portions and heavy asphaltic products from pressure distillation apparatus, which consists in withdrawing residual oils from said apparatus at superatmospheric pressure, in introducing said residual oils at an atmospheric pressure into a vaporizing zone having a basin lled with a co'oling medium and eiectingsubstantial solidication within said basin of the heavy asphaltic products and separation of the volatile portion therein, and in condensing the volatile portion.

3. A method of handling residuum containing Vvolatile portions and heavy asphaltic products from pressure distillation apparatus, which consists in withdrawing residual oils from said apparatus at superatmospheric pressure, in introduring said residual oils into a separating zone maintained at substantially atmospheric pressure and sealed at the bottom by a body of cooling medium, in separating and condensing the volatile portions of said residual oils, and in permitting the escape of the asphaltic product through said liquid seal and causing the same to be substantially solidified within said body of liquid cooling medium.

4. A method of handling unvaporized residual oil obtained in the heat and pressure cracking of hydrocarbon oils and containing volatile portions and heavy asphaltic products which comprises removing such residual oil from the cracking process under superatmospheric pressure, introducing said residual oil while, at elevated temperature into a vaporizing zone maintained at substantially atmospheric pressure and containing a cooling liquid, vaporizing said volatile portions of the residual oil by the self-contained heat of the latter in said zone and effecting substantial solidication of said heavy asphaltic products of the residual oil by Contact with said cooling liquid, and separately removing the vaporized volatile portions and the unvaporized asphaltic products from said zone.

5. A method of handling unvaporized residual oil obtained in the heat and pressure cracking of hydrocarbon oils and containing volatile portions and heavy asphaltic products which comprises removing such residual oil from the cracking process under superatmospheric pressure, introducing said residual oil while at elevated temperature into a vaporizing zone containing water, lowering the pressure on the residual oil in said zone suiciently to vaporize the volatile portions of the residual oil by the self-contained heat o the latter, eiecting substantial solidiication of the heavy asphaltic products of the residual oil by contact with the water in said zone, and separately removing the vaporized volatile portions and the unvaporized asphaltic products from said zone.

6. A method as dened in claim 5 further characterized in that said water forms a seal at the bottom of the vaporizing zone and in that said unvaporized asphaltic products are removed from said zone through the seal thus formed.

7. A method for handling unvaporized residual oil obtained in the pressure distillation o hydrocarbon oils and containing volatile portions and heavy asphaltic products which comprises removing such residual oil from the pressure distillation under superatmospheric pressure, introducing said residual oil while at elevated temperature into the vapor space of a vaporizing zone containing a body of water in the lower portion thereof, lowering the pressure on the residual oil in said zone sumciently to vaporize the volatile portions of the residual oil by the self-contained heat of the latter, effecting substantial solidication of the heavy asphaltic products of the residual oil by contact with said body of water, and separately removing the vaporized volatilized portions and the unvaporized asphaltic products from said zone.

8. A method of handling unvaporized residual oil obtained in the heat and pressure cracking of hydrocarbon oils and containing volatile portions and heavy asphaltic products Iwhich comprises removing such residual oil from the cracking process under superatmospheric pressure, introself-contained heat of the latter, eiecting substantial solidication of the heavy asphaltic products of the residual oil by contact with the cooling liquid in said zone, and separately removing the vaporized volatile portions and the unvaporized asphaltic products from said zone.

` cmr'roN J. PRATT. 

